Your subscriber number is the 8 digit number printed above your name on the address sheet sent with your magazine each week. If you receive it, you’ll also find your subscriber number at the top of our weekly highlights email.

Entering your subscriber number will enable full access to all magazine articles on the site.

If you cannot find your subscriber number then please contact us on customerhelp@subscriptions.spectator.co.uk or call 0330 333 0050. If you’ve only just subscribed, you may not yet have been issued with a subscriber number. In this case you can use the temporary web ID number, included in your email order confirmation.

You can create an account in the meantime and link your subscription at a later time. Simply visit the My Account page, enter your subscriber number in the relevant field and click 'submit changes'.

If you have any difficulties creating an account or logging in please take a look at our FAQs page.

Conservative Corby slips away

Share This

The first polling on the Corby and East Northamptonshire by-election is out today and not surprisingly, it suggests that Labour will take the seat by a landslide. The poll commissioned by Lord Ashcroft predicts Corby will fall in line with national polling trends — a collapsed Lib Dem vote, reduced Tory presence and a resurgent Labour:

If the by-election result follows this pattern, it will represent a 9 per cent swing to Labour since the 2010 general election. If this were replicated at a national level, it would be enough to sweep Ed Miliband back into Downing Street.

The poll also gives some reaction to Louise Mensch’s resignation. Over half stated she should have considered the matter more thoroughly before becoming running for office and only 35 per cent rated her as a good local MP. However the voters are not without a heart — 82 per cent did agree that she was ‘perfectly entitled’ to resign to enjoy a better family life.

There are also a few insights into how the government as a whole is perceived by Corby voters. When asked whether the coalition is going well, 44 per cent said yes, but only 27 per cent are satisfied with the job David Cameron is doing. Luckily for the Tories, 30 per cent say they still prefer him over Ed Miliband as Prime Minister.

Any chance of a Tory win in 2015 depends on economic credibility. Despite the consistent lack of growth, nearly half of those polled trust Cameron, Clegg and Osborne to handle the economy over Ed Miliband and Balls. The Tories will be desperately hoping to maintain this distrust of Labour as a key part of the next general election strategy.

Give something clever this Christmas – a year’s subscription to The Spectator for just £75. And we’ll give you a free bottle of champagne. Click here.